So Far
by daggers.silver
Summary: Peter Burke may have bitten off more than he could chew by taking in foster kid, apparent pathological liar, and 16-year-old con man, Neal George Bennett. (the story will be what it sounds like. if you have any questions, leave them in a review.)


**A/N: SO WHITE COLLAR IS MY NEW OBSESSION. Gosh darn father-son dynamics. They slay me. Anyhow, I got this little plot bunny, which I will of course chase after and probably inevitably abandon. But what's the harm in trying, right? Aside from shattering yours hopes of a next chapter, for this or any of my stories. Whoopsie... Ah well. Here's the first chapter. Wish me luck.**

 **Warnings: Probably some dark themes later on. Mentions of child abuse in this chapter, but not shown. Depression.**

 **Disclaimer: Of course these wonderful characters aren't mine. Must you rub it in?**

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Chapter 1: _More Than He Can Chew_

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There was a reason Peter Burke didn't have kids despite being happily married for nearly a decade. First and foremost, his line of work left little to no room for family dynamics; he's fortunate he hasn't ruined his marriage yet with all the canceled dinners and late phone calls. He didn't want to be an absent father, so he chose not to be a father at all.

Secondly, he didn't think he'd be a very good parent. As far as he knew, kids liked fun, creativity, free time, phones, TV, and whatever else kids these days were into. And being a man of structure and 'the good old-fashioned way' approach to lots of today's problems, he would, without a doubt, be lacking in the connecting-with-your-own-child department. He lived in a reality of hard lines and structure and order, something he assumed most kids loathed. And last but not least, El appeared neutral on the entire idea, insisting she didn't mind either way. No pressure, no decision, meaning the decision was an indirect 'no' until otherwise stated, as far as Peter was concerned.

So when the 'otherwise stated' rolled around, the feeling was similar to that of being hit by a freight train. Even though the idea occurred to _him_ first.

After the case was neatly summarized in a file and stowed away, he did some digging. 'Neal Caffrey' gave him little results, so he searched through physical traits, approximate dates of birth, similar initials, anything. Five cups of coffee and several hours later, he found something. Bennett. Neal Bennett. The picture he finds shows him oceanic blue eyes and a heavy mop of dark hair, but it's the smile that gives it away. Crooked, toothy, as if hiding a secret. The fabric backdrop makes him think school photo. The name 'Gemma Caffrey' mentioned in the file makes him think he's found what he's looking for.

Neal George Bennett. Born on March 21st, 1999. Son of James Bennett and Gemma Caffrey Bennett. Mother left on September 28th, 2006, no information on her whereabouts since. Father, a cop, committed suicide on January 1st, 2011. A year after being absorbed into the system, Neal dropped off the grid, left his foster home, before he was found again sixteen months later. On and off, in and out. Last known foster home was in Manhattan—Neal hasn't been seen since.

Until he came to the F.B.I., white-collar division. Until he was seated in front of Special Agent Peter Burke, scripted words rolling easily from his lips. Until Peter Burke got a gut feeling that this kid wasn't all he said he was. It was in the eyes—blue frozen to ice, aged well beyond the eighteen years he claimed to have seen. A silver tongue that spun tales of woe, lies pinched together in a web that only few could fall through. He didn't have proof, but Peter didn't get as far as he had by invalidating his intuition. He didn't get as far as he had by trusting every word of peril that wafted by his office. No, he got as far as he had by trusting his skepticism, by double-checking, by thorough searching, by watching every single detail with a careful eye.

Unfortunately, his careful eye couldn't overlook the fact that Neal couldn't just keep running. Who knows what he's seen, what he's lived? Did he even have a place to stay, or did he roam the streets alone?

Peter doesn't even think about it—he just blurts it out in his confrontation with the kid. Back into the system or stay with Peter and El. It's only after the offer leaves his mouth that he backtracks. Not verbally, of course, but while he gives Neal the time he needs to think it over, he spends his time profusely apologizing to his wife until she silences him with surprising approval. She's not ecstatic about it, but realistic. Practical. They had a guest room, enough money to support an extra family member, and she already liked the little she'd seen of Neal during their dinner while Peter was working the case. That, and her sympathy for anyone in need made most of the decision for them. From what Peter read in the file, the system hadn't been good to Neal, opting to toss him around like a hot potato until he couldn't take it anymore.

But the Neal George Bennett file also exposed the not-so-pretty details, the horrors, the ugliness of the life of Neal and kids like him.

Neal had been the one to find his dad's body. According to his statement, he'd been asleep when he heard the gunshot. He would have spent who knows how long staring at his father's corpse if the neighbors hadn't reported the disturbance. And while there was no evidence to back it up, he had psychological symptoms of abuse hidden beneath his many layers of facade. High-functioning sociopathy, anxiety attacks, depression, according to several different foster parents.

El was aware of the potential difficulty in taking someone like Neal into their lives. But sympathy beat caution, as it usually did with El. She was ready for this new chapter in their lives—in Neal's life.

Peter deals with criminals on a daily basis. How bad can a teenager be in comparison?

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 **A/N: Aaaaand, that's Chapter 1. And of course I was listening to Teenagers by My Chemical Romance while thinking over this plot bunny. ;) Leave a review, tell me what you think.**


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